Advertising device



March 24, 1959 R. HEINZ ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed Jan. 26, 1956 'INVENTOR. 1' 07101 7 c? He i215 .Munrz Z5469, Danie/.5 J? Marc/4 4 m/ VE ys United States Patent ADVERTISING DEVICE Richard Heinz, Queens Village, N.Y.

Application January 26, 1956, Serial No. 561,531

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-53) This invention relates to a device which may be used advantageously for advertising an article of merchandise or a commodity which is bottled or canned with an appropriate printed label on the container.

Among the attributes of the device of the present invention are the following. It exhibits interrelated advertising matter in direct connection or collocation with an article of merchandise or replica thereof in such a manner as to attract the attention of shoppers. An imitation article of merchandise equipped with the invention may be displayed or exhibited among actual articles of merchandise of the same kind in an orderly array so as to more effectually advertise the article regarding the quality, price and other aspects of the actual merchandise or commodity being displayed or exhibited. The usual label of an article of merchandise is made movable with respect to visual sales promotional matter appropriate to the contents of the article whereby the sales promotional matter is alternately covered and uncovered repeatedly, and illuminated when uncovered, if desired, to draw attention to the merchandise and the sales promotional matter.

The nature of the invention and its distinguishing features and advantages will appear when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of the device of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing a change in the position of one of the parts.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of the body of the device which houses certain parts that are shown in elevation.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical features of the device.

In the drawings, by way of example, the present invention is applied to a replica of a bottle of whiskey. There is shown a hollow body which simulates a bottle. The body 10 is made of thin translucent plastic or other analogous translucent material. The body 10 is dressed in certain respects to give the appearance of an actual bottle containing whiskey. Unlike an actual bottle, the body 10, in the place of the usual label, has pasted or afiixed thereon at the outside a rectangular piece of paper 11 with any suitable printed or delineated advertising matter 12, the whole or portions of which are translucent. The advertising matter 12 may consist of a slogan, or it may relate the quality, price and other aspects of a bottled commodity.

An actual printed label 13 for the commodity being advertised, instead of being afiixed to the body 10, is afiixed to a panel 14 which is large enough to entirely cover the matter 12 on the body 10. The label 13 is one which contains a trademark among other printed matter identifying the commodity being advertised. The panel 14 is arcuate to conform in shape to the cylindrical formation of the main portion of the body 10 on which the gear set connected with the shaft of a permanent magnetic synchronous motor designated M. and shown in Fig. 5. reverse direction of rotation by operating on the opposmg half of the alternating current cycle.

body diametrically opposite the panel 11. The arm 15 is arranged over the housing 17 and moves in a slot disposed horizontally in the body 10. A stop 19 is secured to the housing 17. The arm 15 encounters the stop in its movement which causes the panel 14 carried thereby to cover the advertising matter 12. In doing so the direction of rotation of the motor is reversed causing the reverse movement of the arm 15 until it is stopped again by encountering a stop 20 secured to the housing 17 thereby causing another reversal of the rotative force of the motor. Consequently the arm 15 is caused to oscillate.

In order to illuminate the translucent portions of the advertising matter 12 during the time that it is uncovered, and to disilluminate the matter 12 during the time that it is covered, there is provided an electric lamp 21 and a mercury switch 22. The lamp 21 is mounted upon the housing 17 so as to cast rays of light through the material of the body 10 and the translucent portions of the advertising matter 12 from within the body 10. The switch 22 is carried by a rod 23 on its lower end, the upper end of the rod being pivotally connected, as at 24, to a bracket 25 secured to the top of the housing 17. The rod 23 depends from the bracket 25 in the path of movement of the arm 15. In moving angularly to the left or clockwise arm 15 encounters the rod 23 causing the latter to swing the switch 22 into a tilted position wherein the switch is closed. At the same time the arm 15 moves the panel 14 clear of the advertising matter 12. Stop 20 on the housing 17 limits the clockwise movement of the arm 15 causing a mechanical interruption in the motor and as a result the rotative force of the motor is reversed causing the arm 15 to move counterclockwise. As the arm 15 moves counterclockwise, the switch 22 and rod 23, under the action of gravity swing in a reverse direction thereby bringing the switch into a horizontal position in which the switch is open whereupon the rays of light from the lamp 21 are extinguished. At the same time arm 15 moves the panel 14 into a position in which it fully covers the advertising matter 12, as in Fig. l.

The diagrammatic view in Fig. 5 shows the motor circuit and the lamp and switch circuit in multiple connection with an electrical plug 26 adapted to be engaged in a socket for the supply of electric alternating current.

-It is to be understood that the invention without the lamp 21 and the switch 22 may be employed with an actual bottle or container of a commodity in which case the usual label on the bottle or container is alternately covered and uncovered repeatedly by the panel 14 having any desired advertising matter visible to onlookers.

I claim:

1. An advertising device including a stationary member having visible indicia thereon; a panel having indicia on its front face, said panel being movably mountd Patented Mar. 24, 1959 An arm 15 has one end connected with the The other end of the arm 15 1s fixed to a shaft 16 which is a part of a speed reducing Mechanical interruption causes the motor to The, gear set and the motor are arranged within a sectional housing 17 constituting a single unit designated 18. The unit 18 is arranged within the body 10 through an opening in the,

3. with respect to said stationary member and movable between positions covering and uncovering said indicia; a permanent-magnet type synchronous motor having a shaft; driven means geared to, the shaft of the motor and including an arm connected with said panel, to move the latter; and spaced, fixed abutments connected to said stationary member and alternately engageable by said arm as it is moved, said abutments being adapted to block the. arm and halt the same, thereby causing the motor to halt and automatically reverse its rotation repeatedly so as to effect to and fro movement of said panel by said driven means, thereby to repeatedly, alternately cover and uncover said indicia on the stationary element.

2 An advertising device comprising a hollow body having visible translucent indicia; a panel having a visible label, said panel being movably mounted with respect to said body and movable between positions covering and uncovering said indicia; a permanent-magnet type synchronous motor having a shaft; driven means geared to the shaft of said motor and including an arm connected with said panel, to move the latter; spaced, fixed abutments connected to said hollow body and alter- 4 nately engageable by said arm as it is moved, said abutments being adapted to block the arm and halt the same, thereby causing the motor to halt and automatically reverse its rotation repeatedly so as to effect to and fro movement of said panel by said driven means, thereby repeatedly to alternately cover and uncover said indicia; and means, including a light source in the body, operated by said driven means for illuminating the indicia on said body only during the time that said indicia is uncovered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 437,101 Dihrberg Sept. 23, 1890 616,022 Schild Dec. 13, 1898 1,187,113 Truetzschler June 13, 1916 1,893,025 Gregory et al. Jan. 3, 1933 2,135,412 Riches et al. Nov. 1, 1938 2,170,641 Lancelot Aug. 22, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,047,481 France July 22, 1953 

